"I have a perfect body, but sometimes I forget.
I have a perfect body because my eyelashes catch my sweat. Yes they do!"
-Regina Spector from the song, "Folding Chair" (video of the song below)
Everyone should LOVE their body.
Why?
Because their body has kept them alive every single second of every single day.
This is a line that I like to say at the end of Yoga class---when students are feeling especially gratefully for the accomplishment of completing 1 hour of movement.
Our bodies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, we have learned to adapt to our bodies, we sometimes push ourselves and sometimes compensate for whatever physical challenges we deal with. As we age, we may have a deeper awareness or appreciation for our body and its amazing ability to support us all these years.
We also--- tend to criticize our bodies and sometimes believe that we would only be happy when ... (fill in the blank--- we are thinner or stronger---or have flat abs---or less wrinkles or whatever it is). This is a myth! Don't fall for it! Changing our physical appearance will actually NOT make us happy --- only changing our thoughts and feelings will make us happier.
We also tend to just focus on what is going wrong when we have an injury or a pain, and not focus on the thousands of things that are going right. This is where the Yoga comes in. When we breathe and do some of the Yoga poses, shapes, and movements, we can begin to notice---"oh wow, my arms move overhead very smoothly" --- or --- "oh wow- I can step into a lunge and bend my knee and that feels good or fine." Sometimes we walk into a Yoga class thinking of our few limitations and don't notice the hundreds of other ways our body can move seamlessly.
Some Yoga classes focus on how deeply you can go into a pose and stay there (think: doing the splits for 5 minutes--- eek). Although this may be a goal for some--- I think it is the wrong approach to Yoga. I don't think there is any inherent value of being able to do a pose for the purpose of doing a pose. Some people believe it looks good or interesting or maybe their self-worth is based on them holding a certain pose. I believe that Yoga is a powerful tool for noticing our bodies, sinking into and embodying our bodies. To me Yoga is a moving meditation that increases mobility in the body as well as flexibility in the mind. Yoga gives the mind an opportunity to make connections as it takes concentration to move and put us in various postures.
We can relate to our bodies as the house to our soul. We can relate to our bodies as the machine that help us do our work in the world. Our bodies are the mechanism that for our life- that help us connect to our loved ones and community.
I hope that this blog post makes you think deeper about appreciating your body and that it inspires you to thank your body!
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